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ANNOTATED GAME
An Early Trap in the Queens Pawn Game
melvin_p (1266) vs. blake84120 (1442)
Annotated by: blake84120 (1200)
Chess opening: Queen's pawn (D00), stonewall attack
melvin_p (1266) vs. blake84120 (1442)
Annotated by: blake84120 (1200)
Chess opening: Queen's pawn (D00), stonewall attack
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1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 |
White is playing the Queen's Pawn Game, and his second move seems to be pushing toward the Stonewall Attack. | ||||
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3. c4 e6 |
White went a bit off script for the Stonewall. That pawn is usually played to c3 instead of c4. Now it looks like he has transposed into a Queen's Gambit (it's not much of a gambit now with his bishop defending the pawn at c4), maybe the Marshall Defense with the black knight at f6, though an early pawn move to e3 is not really main line for white in the Marshall Defense. | ||||
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4. Nf3 Bd6 |
Black wants to castle, so the bishop move clears the way. I considered 4. ... Bb4, but after 5. Bd2 we just end up exchanging bishops. I wanted to keep the position complex, so exhanging pieces early was contrary to my plans in that regard. Of course, white can easily play c5 at any time to drive back my bishop, so e6 might not have been the wisest choice for black here. | ||||
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5. Nc3 O-O 6. Bd3 dxc4 |
I decided not to let white play his pawn to c5. After white's last move, taking the pawn now seems to gain a little tempo. | ||||
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7. Bxc4 c5 |
This move is contrary to my intention of keeping things complicated, giving white a chance to trade queens if he wants simplification. But I felt I needed to challenge his center. | ||||
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8. O-O cxd4 |
White castled into a little trap, and now I'll present him a little teaser where what seems to be the best move will cost him a pawn - one of his castle pawns, which leaves his king somewhat exposed (and this will play a role later in the middle game). | ||||
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9. Nxd4 Bxh2+ |
White can choose not to capture the bishop. Either way, he has already lost a pawn with no recompense. | ||||
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10. Kxh2 Qc7+ |
Long range fork. Check, and the bishop on c4 will fall. | ||||
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11. g3 Qxc4 |
Black is up a pawn and he has ruined white's castle. Of note is the fact that we have opposite colored bishops, and eventually, if white is allowed to exchange everything else off the board, black cannot force a win with K B P vs. K B when the bishops are on opposite colors. | ||||
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12. Ndb5 a6 |
Black cannot leave the knight on b5 where it is just one move away from c7 where it wins the rook on a8. The black queen defends c7 for now, but she can be easily chased, and being tied to the defense of c7 limits her scope. Also, with a6, black gives his rook freedom to escape if white's knight is ever played to c7. | ||||
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13. Nd6 Qc5 |
d6 dangerous place for the white knight. It has no credible threats, and it can be easily attacked. As I noted after black's 11th move, black is in favor of white playing Nxc8 as that eliminates the opposite colored bishop ending. | ||||
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14. a4 Rd8 |
I don't know what the pawn on a4 is good for. Perhaps white was thinking about playing his rook to b3 to threaten black's pawn on b7. But his knight is still in a precarious position, and now I pin it there. White seems to have no escape. If 15. Nxb7 or 15. N(d6)e4, to threaten black's queen, black can play 15. ... Rxd1 and now white's rook is en prise and white loses material. It's interesting to note how destructive 9. ... Bxh2 was to white's position. If white's king stood next to his rook on f1, white's knight could escape this pin and even win the pawn on b7 (black couldn't play 15. Bxb7? for white wins a rook with Qxd8 ). | ||||
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15. Qf3 Rxd6 |
Eat the knight before it escapes, especially since now it can capture at b7 guarded by its queen. | ||||
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16. Rd1 Rxd1 |
Black is ahead by knight and pawn, and more than willing to liquidate pieces. White dubiously offers the first of the liquidations. | ||||
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17. Qxd1 Nbd7 |
Of course, white has Qd8 , but black's queen can save the day with Qf8. However, this takes black's queen out of the center of the board and puts white on the offensive, so I deem it best to prevent the move, which also serves to broaden my queen's scope once she's not tied to preventing checkmate. In retrospect, I think the better move would have been 17. ... Qh5 to force the trading of queens. | ||||
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18. a5 b5 |
Opens up my bishop, and I wouldn't mind if white captures en passant. | ||||
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19. Ne2 Bb7 |
White's 19. Ne2 seems to serve little purpose. It has nowhere to move that presents any threat to black. In fact, it opens up e4, which looks like a great home for a black knight. But I choose a move that might give me an opportunity to pin and exchange white's knight. | ||||
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20. b3 Bf3 21. Ba3 Bxe2 |
OK, let's exchange. If 22. Bxc5 Bxd1, 23. Rxd1 Nxc5 black comes out a piece ahead, and his rook protects against the back-rank checkmate. | ||||
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22. Qxe2 Qh5+ |
White played the only move that didn't lose material, and black finally plays the move he should have played 5 moves ago. | ||||
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23. Qxh5 Nxh5 |
Queens are gone, the opposite-bishop ending has been prevented, and black has a winning material advantage. Time to figure out how to win with it. | ||||
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